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Stress Management

Gabe Stengel shares his approach to managing stress and emotional extremes in the professional environment. He acknowledges the roller coaster of emotions that come with being a founder, describing himself as someone who experiences high highs and low lows, which he views as both a superpower and a challenge 1. Gabe emphasizes the importance of willpower in the early stages of a startup, noting that before achieving product-market fit, a founder's willpower is a finite resource 2.

It's really, really hard to just keep marching uphill. It's a sufficient, I think, in terms of, like, at this point, now that things are going well, how do I make sure I keep my foot on the gas? I'm trying to figure it out.

--- Gabe Stengel

He believes that maintaining resilience is crucial to overcoming the desire to quit during tough times.

   

Leadership

Gabe Stengel's leadership style is rooted in trust and valuing people over everything else. He admits that he is still learning and improving in various aspects of leadership, but he relies heavily on his talented and autonomous team members to reduce his management burden 3. Gabe highlights the importance of building connections and reaching out to others, even if it means facing rejection, as a vital part of leadership and growth 4.

People are everything. I mean, I couldn't. Would I rather lose our five biggest customers or our five best people? Five biggest customers, hands down, right now.

--- Gabe Stengel

He believes that the people in his team are the key to scaling and success.

   

Work-Life Balance

Balancing work and personal life is a challenge Gabe Stengel addresses by prioritizing activities outside of work. He advises against neglecting personal interests despite the overwhelming demands of a startup, emphasizing that it's crucial to make time for other aspects of life to avoid burnout 5. Gabe also discusses the importance of maintaining focus and excitement about work, suggesting that founders should find strategies to stay sharp and motivated 6.

The reality is you're actually only ever going to be able to do 20% of what you need to do. And so the way to handle that is not to, you know, be so regretful that you can't do more.

--- Gabe Stengel

He stresses the need for a support system and personal time to recharge and maintain productivity.